Serena Williams overcame a fight back from Agnieszka Radwanska to claim her fifth Wimbledon singles title in three sets with scores of 6-1, 5-7, and 6-2.

Williams dominated the first set in a little over 30 minutes before the third seed from Poland managed to find her feet. But Radwanska, who has been suffering from a virus for the last few days, made the most of the rain break after the first set and came out fighting to sneak the second. Williams managed to regroup in the third and won her 14^th Grand Slam title just two years after a life-threatening illness.

“I can’t even describe it. I almost didn’t make it a few years ago,” an emotional Williams told the BBC, referring to her health problems. “I was in hospital but now I’m here again and it was so worth it. I’m so happy. Aggie played so well. That’s why she’s had such a great career, and she’s so young.”

A three setter never looked on the cards after Williams came out all guns blazing. Radwanska even went a break down 2-1 in the second before she found her form. She clawed back the break and hit some magical winners to show how she had made the final for the first time.

The American looked to have no answer at the end of the second set and her serve, which was so impressive throughout the tournament, failed to fire. But Williams showed her champion mentality and regrouped in the final set, completing one game in just 49 seconds by hitting four aces.

She served 17 aces in the final, bringing her total to 103, the highest of any man or woman at this year’s Wimbledon.

Her victory is the first by a lady over 30 since Martina Navratilova in 1990 and it looks like there will be more to come.

Radwanska will take confidence from this tournament though– her best grand slam to date – and she will be ranked number two in the world on Monday. Her consistent hitting, anticipation and finesse touch is a refreshing change reminiscent of Martina Hingis; and shows there is still a place in the game for those who can’t simply rely on big hitting from the baseline.

But it is Williams who has confirmed her position as one of the greatest – if not the greatest female ever to play the game with such an impressive victory.

Image Courtesy of  Kat Shann

The article Serena Bags Fifth Wimbledon Singles Title appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

A new study released by the Health Effects Institute (HEI) provides important new insights on the advancements in clean diesel technology and ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel, according to Allen Schaeffer, Executive Director of the Diesel Technology Forum.

The peer-reviewed study entitled “HEI Research Report 166: Advanced Collaborative Emissions Study (ACES) Subchronic Exposure Results: Biological Responses in Rats and Mice and Assessment of Genotoxicity,” was conducted by the Health Effects Institute (HEI) in collaboration with the Coordinating Research Council.

The goal of ACES is to test the emissions and health effects of the new technology diesel engines to document the improvements that have been made and to ensure that there are no unintended emissions from this new technology.  The study evaluated impacts from exposure to diesel exhaust emissions on laboratory animals over various time intervals.

In their Commentary on the study the ACES Review Panel concluded: “Overall, these results showed few biologic effects related to diesel exhaust exposure.”

“As this new study illustrates, the 2007 compliant diesel technology provided historic improvements in reducing particulate and nitrogen oxide emissions,” Schaeffer said.

“And the 2010 and newer diesel technology is even cleaner with near zero emissions. In the past decade, emissions from heavy-duty diesel trucks and buses have been reduced by 99 percent for nitrogen oxides (NOx) – an ozone precursor – and 98 percent for particulate emissions which include black carbon,” Schaeffer said.

While this study is limited to highway diesel engines like those used in commercial trucks and buses, virtually the same technologies (cleaner diesel fuel and advanced engine and emissions controls) are being phased in for all non-road engines and equipment used in construction, agriculture, mining and other industries.

“Getting to these near-zero levels of emissions is a result of the highly integrated clean diesel system – cleaner ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel, advanced engine technologies and emissions control systems,” Schaeffer said.  “Not only are the engines near zero emissions, they are also achieving important gains in fuel efficiency of anywhere from two to 10 percent, bringing valuable savings to owners and operators of new clean diesel engines.”

Schaeffer said the findings in the new HEI report coincide with the Environmental Protection Agency’s recently-released ”Report to Congress on Black Report”, which stated: ”The United States will achieve substantial (black carbon) emissions reductions by 2030, largely due to controls on new mobile diesel engines.  Diesel retrofit programs for in-use mobile sources are a valuable complement to new engine standards for reducing emissions.”

“Today, diesel engines are responsible for less than six percent of all particulate emissions in the U.S.,” Schaeffer said.  “As clean diesel technology continues to advance, these improvements will be even more significant.”

The article Clean Diesel Technology and Its Effects in the Health appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.